黑潮

(利申和理非)对比同为黑人民权斗士的马丁路德金,Malcolm X的知名度可以说是低到难以想像。当中的主要原因当然是Malcolm不像马丁路德金,甘地和曼德拉般,对比同为黑人民权斗士的马丁路德金,Malcolm X的知名度可以说是低到难以想像。当中的主要原因当然是Malcolm不像马丁路德金,甘地和曼德拉般,喊着的不是"和平理性非暴力"的口号,而是喊着By any means necessary这种激进派的口号,所以自然不会进入到当权者宣传系统的一部分。也因如此,我在上一年看完Spike Lee 黑色党徒之后就对他这部由Denzel Washington主演,讲述了Malcolm X成长以及为黑人民权斗争的电影产生了很大的兴趣,最终在这个特殊的节点把这电影看了。

Malcolm X的成长过程可以说是很Tragic的,父亲是泛非主义的牧师,Malcolm 六岁的时候被那个年代还极度猖狂的3K党活活打死,而母亲是被白人强奸而生下来的孩子,耻于自己较白哲的肤色而一直陷入精神问题之中.Malcolm在父亲死后被强制送往了寄养家庭,成年后成为了NY街头的小混混,很快就锒铛入狱。看到这里,按正常的轨迹,Malcolm将会沦为一名普通的街头黑人小混混,不断进出监狱或者在街头被人乱枪打死。可是他在狱中遇上了一名笃信伊斯兰教的伊斯兰国度牧师,从此他也成为了一名伊斯兰教徒,并在狱中阅读了大量书籍,取得了硕士学位,也对白人压迫黑人的历史有了更多的了解。出狱后他加入了伊斯兰国度,开始为黑人民权运动发声。这个时期Malcolm X极为激进,认为所有白人都是魔鬼,耶稣和先知穆罕默德都是黑人,鼓吹黑人优越主义与种族分离等等,也是提倡以暴制暴,公开反对其他如马丁路德金等民权斗士。但是渐渐的他和伊斯兰国度的领导者以利亚·穆罕默德产生了分歧,后者更陷入了性丑闻和以权谋私。在Kennedy 被刺后他发表的争议性言论令他被伊斯兰国度禁言90天,也让他有了去圣城麦加朝圣的机会。麦加朝圣对Malcolm X产生了巨大的影响,他看到了不同肤色的教徒在麦加和谐的相处,让他抛弃激烈的黑白分离主张,也公开反对以前的自己和伊斯兰国度。他开始和不同宗教、种族的民权运动人士如马丁·路德·金合作,共同支持了1964年的民权法案。在那时期,他也公开发表他的著名演说《选票还是子弹》,抛弃了黑人建国的主张,呼吁黑人参加民主选举,也与社会主义工人党(美国托派)会面。其后他收到了伊斯兰国度的死亡威胁,家中被放火,最后在一次集会中被伊斯兰国度的极端分子乱枪打死(get your hand out my pocket的由来) 。

只看在麦加朝圣后的Malcolm X的主张,其争议性是比较小的。而且不可否认的是白人在历史上对黑人的罪行是罄竹难书,对黑人的歧视也是众所周知的问题,因此1960年代的黑人民权运动在出发点来说是毫无问题的。

而对Malcolm X最大的争议当然是其"By any means necessary"的言论以及他主张的以暴力对抗暴力的思想了。作为在一个和平地方长大的(伪)知识份子,我自然是一名和理非人士,毕竟从小的教育环境都是给我灌输马丁路德金,甘地和曼德拉的和理非思想。但是当我真正了解到当年黑人受到的不公正对待和白人3K党的暴力行为时,我开始有了更多的反思。假如你是1960年代的黑人,你处于小数,大众没有意识到你受到的不公正对待是多么反人权,制度正在不作为什至助长对方的气焰,这时候要求你拿起武器自卫和反抗是不是还是错误的呢?黑奴制,白人3K党的暴力行为是血淋淋的历史,也是不可否认的历史,种族隔离制度在我爸小时候的年代还存在,而黑人用暴力去对抗这种不公义的行为又是不是合理的呢?假如是不合理,为什么政权可以宣扬自己革命的正当性和合理性?为什么五四运动,武昌起义被我们认为是正义合理的呢?

当然我也不是赞扬暴力的人,也不认为暴力是解决问题的有效手段。我认为我们要反思这种暴力的源头在那里,怎么样才能在源头中解决问题,而不是单纯的谴责,不然有一天我们面对的就是"By any means necessary"的愤怒抗争者了。

“Malcolm X”, Spike Lee’s first ever biography picture depicting the tragic yet legendary life events as well as the long-lasting legacies of the historic black activist/leader with the same name, who is apparently being dubbed to be one of “the most influential figures” during the Civil Rights Movement Era alongside with Martin Luther King Jr., although oftentimes not as critically well-acclaimed in terms of political reputation compared to King, due to a lot of his controversial approaches and emphasis which were much different from King’s “endorsements of non-violence”, which he instead proposed the specific idea that “ways of violence would sometimes be needed as means of self-defense”, and because of this and many other seemingly radical statements that were being suggested out, was inevitably misinterpreted and misunderstood by not only white folks within the general public, but as well as by his own racial peers or racial group of people, and was indeed constantly deemed an out-cast throughout his political campaign career, as “someone who was promoting the ideas of hatred and violence towards white Caucasians”, or which was that of the case of one-sided depictions that was being repeatedly reported and carried out by many different media outlets out there, at the time/during the particular time period.

In this specific essay, I’m going to further discuss as well as talk about another exceptionally legendary and world-renown civil rights activist figure coming from yet another corner of the world, who happened to appear within one particular scene towards the near-end of this specific film, whose appearance during the entire movie, although only for a brief few minutes, makes everything that was being presented surely more interesting as well as memorable. South African activist Nelson Mandela, who seemed like he was acting in a school instructor/lecturer position within a local South African primary/elementary classroom setting that way, where the classroom was apparently filled with plenty of school-aged children, and, where none of those selected child actors were actually being white Caucasians (by possibly obeserving and telling from the looks, outward appearances and basic skin tone complexions of them), but rather all of African descent, hinting/suggesting it was probably from a time period still during the so-called “Apartheid” racial segregation era within the country itself. After the specific shot of several couple kids quickly standing up and shouting out loud the immediate catchphrase of “I am Malcolm X!”, Mandela, standing in front of all of his students, with his own voice firm and steady, loudly yet proudly stated out the following lines, and no doubt that they surely came from the very deep bottom of the particular civil rights leader’s heart, as he would find himself nodding his head to and aligning with these words once coming out of Malcolm X’s mouth there : “As Brother Malcolm said, we declare our right on this earth to be a man. To be a human being. To be given the rights of a human being. To be respected as a human being, in this society, on this earth, in this day, which we intended to bring into existence”, and then the statement itself was rapidly followed after by the last ever line of the whole entire filmwork, which is - “by any means necessary”, while showing the actual historical footage of Malcolm X making the speech during one of his past advocacy gathering rallies, which by this point basically wraps up the entire ending of the whole movie there, with the general credit rollings coming right after that. It is indeed notable/note-worthy that, although being as black civil rights leaders/activists from two separately/individually different countries - South Africa and America, which both also happen to share the specific similarity of being nations with long past histories of facing/dealing with white colonization, the historical circumstances and situations which Mandela himself had to face within his own country, may not be that different from Malcolm X’s, after all. “Aparthied”, which is a Afrikaans (localized South African language/dialect) word/term meaning and standing for “apartness”, by literal definition in English equivalency/translation, is indeed in its very essence, simply yet another form of the political policy of “Racial Segregation” mainly focusing/aiming at the intentional separation of parting blacks from whites within the general societal environment of South Africa, which was by all means, in many ways undeniably similar to the general societal situations/cicumstances which continued on during Malcolm X’s generation back in time within the States. It would be safe to say that generally speaking, in a larger sense, similar societal environments would usually result in similar life experiences of human beings living/residing within the world themselves, no matter whether if these supposed experiences would be that of good or bad, negative or positive; Thus, in yet another sense, it would probably also be absolutely/totally true to conclude that, on this particular matter, Mandela and Malcolm X would also undoubtedly happen to share a deeply profound bound, common symphysis, empathy, and/or resonance, as well as extraordinary internal connections with each other (no matter if spiritually or mentally), since both men are driven by ultimately similar greater goals/aims/ambitions in nature throughout each of their seperate life paths.

The historical episode/chapter of the specific “Apartheid Era” within South Africa in almost any sort of way deeply connects to the “Racial Segregation Generation” within the United States, as it is obvious and no secret that as human beings, our fates as well as destinies are indeed oftentimes interwined as well as deeply connected with each other in subtle and covert manners, whether we would come to realize that or not. So, as a matter of fact, it would be an extra important mission here for us all to gradually learn to how to fight/combat alongside with each other’s shoulders and be able to support each other throughout the process that way, almost like war-time comrades in a sense, just like how Nelson Mandela and Malcolm X were each continuously keeping on doing, instead of fighting/combating against or turning our backs on each other, for this is the only possible way here in order to reach ultimate social justice as well as societal equality for all folks out there, as collective human beings living on this earth. After all, individual power/strength may be small and limited in potential influences or generalized impacts, but once combined altogether that way, the actual result from it could be something that is ever lastingly unignorable, and definitely not to be underestimated.